Accountability
Governmental institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations must be equally accountable to their stakeholders and to the public. Transparency, the rule of law and effective oversight assist with implementing accountability.
Customer focus
Customers as actors with rights and obligations are only willing to pay if they percieve the level and quality of service to be adequate. Therefore, striving to serve customers and responding to their requests is essential.
Poverty responsiveness
Running a utility does not necessarily or naturally address poverty issues. The delivery of basic services requires explicit efforts by governments in respecting the needs of the poor in project development and designing effective support mechanisms, like smart subsidies, to ensure affordablility.
Power-balanced partnership
Successful partnerships are based on negotiating balances of power and capacity among the contracting parties. Furthermore, enabling stakeholders to effectively play their roles in the sector is key for successful and accepted processes.
Proactive risk management
Exposure to, and management of, commercial and non-commercial risks strongly influence the prospects of success. A risk culture that identifies the risks, allocates them appropriately and uses effective mitigation strategies significantly improves the risk profile.
Result orientation
Agreement on overall goals and priorities allows using result-driven steering mechanisms. This will provide scope for innovative and efficient approaches. Distinct measurement criteria and agreed adjustment processes in changing environments provide the basis for effectively achieving the goals.
Shared incentives
Taking into account the range of stakeholders and their objectives demands expectations and interests to be made transparent. From this starting point, common goals can be identified, incentive mechanisms that link the interests designed and possible adverse impacts addressed.
Sound financing mechanisms
Self-financing water services are at the core of sustainable services. The focus must be on financially appropriate systems and service levels, as well as on favorable financing architecture.
Transparency
Transparency plays a crucial role in making partnerships work and holding actors accountable. Countering corruption and bribery depends on transparency as an indispensable precondition. Key to transparency is access to information.
Water resource protection
Respecting the limits and protecting the quality of water resources available through a systematic assessment of the environmental impact of planned activities and investments is required.